Upchurch Vineyard 2020 Hero Twins Cabernet Sauvignon Receives 100 Points from Robert Parker’s Wine Advocate
Washington State’s Only Red Mountain Winery to Achieve a Perfect Score
Recognized as one of Washington State’s pioneers in winemaking and viticulture, Chris Upchurch continues to break records and craft award-winning wines. His 2020 Hero Twins Cabernet Sauvignon has just been awarded the 100-point score from Anthony Mueller of Robert Parker’s Wine Advocate. Cofounder of Delille Cellars in 1990, and of Upchurch Vineyard with his wife Thea in 2007, Upchurch remarks “I always had faith in Red Mountain as being a world-class wine growing region.”
With this recent accomplishment, Upchurch Vineyard joins other celebrated wineries from Washington State, that have received 100-point scores from the Wine Advocate and are blazing the path for incredible wines, including Cayuse, Leonetti, Long Shadows and Quilceda Creek. With over 30 years in the Washington wine industry, Upchurch has garnered over 400 ratings of 90+ for Delille Cellars and Upchurch Vineyard, with over 100 scores of 90+ for Upchurch Vineyard alone. Dick Boushey, Vineyard Manager of Upchurch, upon receiving the 100-point score, remarked with a wry smile, “Wait until we figure things out.” Boushey and Upchurch have been collaborating since the inception of Upchurch Vineyard.
Anthony Mueller describes the second vintage of Upchurch’s limited edition Hero Twins Cabernet Sauvignon this way: “A complete wine… a masterpiece… a guiding light for world-class Red Mountain Cabernet.”
As for the story behind Hero Twins, Upchurch continues: “It is very straightforward. Going through the cellar, sometimes a certain block, or a few barrels stand out as being extremely concentrated and elegantly balanced. It’s a complete wine, the quintessential expression of the vintage, that demands to be left by itself, to show off its mastery without other distractions. This Cabernet showed such unique qualities and called for us to bottle it separately. It’s complete.”
Chris named the wine after The Popol Vuh, his favorite genesis story in Mayan mythology, in which the Hero Twin lords destroyed the arrogant Seven Macaw and defeated the dark lords of the underworld in order to rise up and become the Sun and Moon. The ideal link to these two barrels is tied so closely to the magic of nature and the importance of warm sunny days and cool moonlit nights on Red Mountain.
Hero Twins joins the already established and stand out wines of the Upchurch Vineyard collection that include UV Southwest Facing Sauvignon Blanc, UV Counterpart and Upchurch Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon.
The Wine Advocate Hero Twins Review
“Coming from iconic Washington winemaker Chris Upchurch, the Cabernet Sauvignon Hero Twins honors and respects quality Cabernet making on Red Mountain with the added bonus of Mayan mythology and folklore. Made from a barrel selection of the best two barrels of clone two Cabernet Sauvignon, the wine comes together and expresses the vintage with precision and finesse. Its firm yet elegantly layered nose sways with a broad-shouldered and generously framed structure and mouthfeel, making this wine absolutely deserving of a spot in your cellar next to the first growths of Bordeaux. At present, it’s still tightly wound and will benefit from additional years in the cellar and should drink fantastically from the middle of this decade through the middle of the 2040s. Your patience will be rewarded!,” – Anthony Mueller, The Wine Advocate